Kelpie
The Kelpie (aka: Niseag, Morag, Lake Serpent, Water Horse) is a mysterious aquatic creature that can be best described as a gentle giant that prefers to avoid contact with civilized creatures whenever possible. Appearance Kelpies are typically about 30 to 50 feet long and have a large round body, a fluked tail, four rhombus-shaped fins, a thick serpentine neck, and a relatively small, vaguely horse-like head. A kelpie's mouth is filled with needle-like teeth designed for catching fish, squid, and other aquatic animals and their skin is smooth and greenish gray in color. Though they look vaguely reptilian in appearance, kelpies are believed to be a completely different type of animal as they possess some qualities of whales and dolphins (such as an insulating layer of blubber and the ability of echolocation). Some reports claim that this creature also has a pair of stubby, giraffe-like horns and one or more large humps on its back. Behavior Very little is known for certain of the Kelpie's behavior, as they are shy and reclusive creatures that are rarely encountered up close. These creatures are known to live in deep lakes and bays all across the Known World, where they feed on a diet of fish, squid, and seaweed. Kelpies spend most of their time deep below the surface, though they are still air-breathing animals and regularly breach the surface in order to replenish their air supply. Despite their intimidating size and appearance, kelpies are in fact very shy but friendly animals that rarely attack sentient creatures. There are even several recorded accounts of kelpies rescuing sailors from drowning. Kelpies are most commonly sighted at dawn, dusk, and whenever the surface of their aquatic territories are covered in fog or mist. Like krakens, it is believed that kelpies spend a good deal of their time sleeping partially buried on the muddy bottom of their deep lake habitats in order to conserve energy. Trivia & Popular Lore *An ancient folktale claims that when a Kelpie leaves the water they will transform into a beautiful pony-like creature in order to seduce traveling ponies and drown them. *Like whales, Kelpies are often known to sing a haunting and eerily beautiful song that can be heard from miles away. The exact purpose and meaning of this song is unknown, though one of the more popular theories is that it is a mating call of some sort. *Monsterologists have had some success in luring kelpies out of hidding by the use of foghorns that have been modified to mimic the Kelpie's mysterious song. It was with the aid of these "foghorn calls" that the first detailed observations of a Kelpie were recorded. *Though they are sometimes called "Lake Serpents", Kelpies are in no way related to the rare and intelligent Water Dragons (aka "Sea Serpents"). *Some scholars believe that oceanic encounters with Kelpies may have inspired the legends of the mythical "Sea Ponies". *Many of the small towns located around Kelpie habitats gain a good deal of money from tourists who try to catch a glimpse of the elusive creatures. Inspiration *The Loch Ness Monster and the Kelpie (both from Scottish folklore). *Numerous lake monsters from across the world. *"The Foghorn" by Ray Bradbury Category:Creatures Category:Sea Monsters Category:Pseudodragons